Arsenal’s Champions League hopes are on the verge of becoming a reality and whole lot of real. After holding Atletico Madrid to the wire and then beating them (2-1 on aggregate), it would seem that Arsenal’s Champions League dreams are alive and kicking. Bukayo Saka provided the unforgettable moment that brought the two teams to a point which pushed the Gunners towards the side of history on an emotional evening of Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal was about to start the second leg of the semi-final with a 1-1 record and if they made a mistake here could be the end of their run in Europe. But, instead, they produced another disciplined and mature performance to eradicate the experienced Atletico side and to put pressure on Diego Simeone to keep the Premier League and Champions League lights alive.
Going from any kind of angle, it was clear from the first whistle that this would be immense. It was flaring around and man to man marking played well by Arsenal, who were aware how much Atletico Madrid can inflict pain on teams in the deadlock of a knockout game. It was early in the game when the Spanish looked dangerous on transition and the Gunners were attempting to get the momentum to themselves with Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi in midfield.
First, Atletico were lucky to have found one of the best chances of the first half in the shape of Giuliano Simeone running to the area. Rice, however, did make a well-timed recovery tackle to deny a clear goal, and to give the home supporters a boost. Slowly, Arsenal took charge of the game after bouncing back from that warning sign. Their attack intensified and Viktor Gyokeres had been pressing Atletico’s defence with constant runs to the wings alongside the channels.
Finally, after a break in the fifth minute just before half time. Link-up play with Gyokeres put Leandro Trossard in a tough save for Oblak, who was required to show impressive to-be-stopped skills with the Spaniard’s pace and effort to seal the deal. Bukayo Saka landed a nice hop on for himself as he was the fastest to capitalize on a poached ball from close range. It was a match of Emirates exploding as Arsenal were able to get ahead on the evidence and get to the top of the scoreboard for the first time in the contest. This proved to be yet another Champions League moment for Saka, who is having a growing impact on Arsenal’s European campaign.
Atletico Madrid, however, were not so quick to bow down. After the interval, Diego Simeone introduced attacking reinforcements and that amounted to much more than putting pressure the Arsenal defence. Giuliano Simeone had a chance to almost put the classics fans to tap-dancing favourites when he rounded David Raya in the penalty area but Gabriel got a golden twist to find a silo from a defender in good position to deny the Argentine. Atletico was allowed to go on arguing for a penalty but it was turned down.
There were plenty of chances in the game, and that is what Arsenal did, to finish the game early. After taking a cross-by-round from Piero Hincapie, the best of both legs was inside the penalty area for someone who was less than 100 percent upfront safe, and Arsenal’s most dangerous player in both legs as a player, he was the one to miss. The miss caused a few ructions in the Arsenal fanbase, but it had no impact on Arteta’s team’s defensive playing.
Perhaps one of the most impressive elements in Arsenal’s fare was tactical sophistication. Once again Arteta brought in the 19-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly to the midfield where he played another composed performance at a high level, this time under extreme pressure. On the ground, rice sat comfortably on the central areas, but Ben White looked much better both physically and mentally than in recent weeks. But they were not in denial when it came to Arsenal resisting and being able to retain their form.However, they weren’t arrogant about holding up when it comes to Arsenal defending aggressively but retaining form as they have done over the Champions League this season.
In the face of it, Atletico Madrid were more or less determined to get the job done – but hamstrung from breaking down the organised Arsenal defence. Simeone’s side were hard at work and never looked back it would seem, but they weren’t the decisive team with the pivotal edge necessary to even the score. It was another heartbreak for Atletico as they left Europe, with Simeone now worse off than ever for failure in the Champions League.
But no team has lifted their own ship to the end point like Arsenal. The Gunners are unbeaten in all their European games so far, having beaten Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Sporting CP and Atletico Madrid. They have held their own in top level competition, making them legitimate favourites for the trophy.
Also, the win further cements Arteta’s status as one of Europe’s classy coaches. The semi-final defeat suffered last season seemed to have given them a lot of food for thought and Arsenal seemed far more confident under pressure this season. With that momentum they are now taking to Budapest with faith hoping they will have one of the best seasons in the history of this club.
Arsenal have been the Champions League first team to come close, and now they’re just one match away from lifting the big trophy for the first time in their history. The Gunners will approach the tournament with the idea of having already triumphed over some of the continent’s best sides, as well as Bayern Munich and PSG in the finals. When Bukayo Saka has found a reliable first-cleared ball to launch the Arsenal in a crucial moment and Arteta is one of the most fearless side-backers, then the to dream of selling it on the continent has arguably become more likely than ever.
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